Author: Ogochukwu Isioma

A lot has been written and said about the Benin Airport incident of Friday, April 27, 2018, involving Senator Mathew Urhoghide, representing Edo South Senatorial District in the National Assembly; youths of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and those of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Most of the commentaries have been largely partisan, despite the true account of the event that took place at the airport as presented by the Edo State Government. I will at this juncture ask the difficult questions which many commentators have refused or failed to ask: Why did Senator Mathew Urhoghide commission thugs and...

It was only four months ago when the announcement was made of the appointment of a Benin-based Human Rights Activist as Senior Special Assistant (SSA) on Anti-Human Trafficking and Illegal Migration Matters to Gov. Godwin Obaseki of Edo state. The appointment has been described as a well deserved appointment, while being celebrated even in the civil society community. This distinguished appointee was no other but Comrade Solomon Okoduwa. Prominent among those who celebrated the appointment was the former Minority leader of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. (Barr.) Samson Osagie. Hon. Samson Osagie had described the appointment of Solomon...

The first ever Cambridge Climate Lecture held yersteday, 21st of April in Nigeria at the University of Benin. The lecture which was centered around the urgency of climate action was tagged; ‘CLIMATE CHANGE IS NOW’. It featured speeches from Oliver Morton ( A renowned British writer ), Lisa walker (CEO, Ecosphereplus), Sir David King ( A professor of Physical chemistry at Cambridge University) and Renee Karunungan ( Head of Outreach, Climate Tracker). The lecture resonated the cause, effects and impending crisis of climate change. It also provided platform for interaction, networking and hands-on-policy-formulation geared at averting the impending doom. Borokinni Joshua, the host of the event in Nigeria, Kickstarted the event by explaining the concept of the lecture, sharing opportunities involved in climate action such as the Cambridge climate frontline program and most importantly taking his stance on climate action which he grouped into three divisions- Climate finance, Climate policies and Climate advocacy. In attendance was Bassey Ezekiel of Sustyvibes who was keen about the role of private organizations in climate change. He also stressed the need to use incentives as a means of engaging the grassroots for a long-term success. The interactive session saw Abiodun ( A Msc. student at the University of Ibadan ) engage the participants in a thought-provoking discussion about the role of endogenous knowledge in climate change. Alex ( A climate Journalist ) stood...

Since 2010, over a hundred Small Islands, developing States including Nigeria and the least developed countries have been calling for limiting global temperature rise to below 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. Placing the 1.5°C limit alongside the legally binding goal to hold global temperatures “well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels” in the Paris Agreement was a major victory for vulnerable countries. The 1.5°C limit in the Paris Agreement goes significantly further than the previous 2°C goal adopted under the UNFCCC. The Paris Agreement also contains long-term global emissions goals to peak global emissions as soon as possible and then reduce as rapidly as possible, according to the best available science, to reach zero emissions globally in the second half of the 21st century. Comparing the state of the world at 1.5C and 2C. Source: CarbonBrief The global emission pathway issues and carbon budget are particularly important, in order to fulfil its climate commitments under the Paris Agreement, Nigeria’s present and future actions on emission reductions will need to fit within these limits. Nigeria’s initial nationally determined contribution (INDC) is inadequate even for the former 2°C goal. At present the overall globally aggregated effect of INDCs and current policies put the world on a 3°C or close to 4°C pathways respectively, much above the previous 2°C limit. The first review, or stock take, of the aggregate effect of all INDC...

The Edo Office of Digital Communications and Public Engagement, Edo DigiComms, held her 3rd edition of online lecture series on Sunday, March 4, 2018. The program with the theme: “Security and Policing in Edo state: Challenges and Way Forward” featured top personalities across the country including Hon. Samson Osagie, Johannes Tobi, Ayobami Akanji, Olubayo Paul, others, as guest speakers. The program which lasted for three and a half hours (8-11:30pm), was held on the DigiComms WhatsApp platform. Here is a link to download the full transcript of the lecture series delivered by these awesome personalities, for the benefit of...